At The Gilded Table, silverware clicks softly around the secluded booth. Marcus Thorne sits opposite Thadeus, Elizabeth, and Elias, his attention fixed on the name William Thorne.
Marcus Thorne
I know William Thorne. He was my ancestor, several generations back. I have seen his name in the family records, but I never understood why you would be asking about him.
Marcus glances between them, weary but alert. Elizabeth keeps her composure, while Elias watches Marcus's hands and face for recognition.
Marcus Thorne
I do not know the name Erzsebet Báthory. If you are asking whether William had dealings with someone by that name, I cannot give you that answer. But I can tell you where his records were kept.
Elias
I need to know whether those records mention Castle Proserpina. We found the castle near Beaconsfield, and its appearance cannot be separated from what is happening to Elizabeth.
Marcus Thorne
Then tell me your intentions. Why are you going to London, and why should I believe you are not trying to exploit my family history?
“Thadeus stares at Marcus, his words carefully composed, "Marcus, you've covered stories about the recent events in the city, right?" Marcus nods cautiously, "You know I have." Thadeus continues, "If I told you those events were created by supernatural forces, would you believe it?" Marcus looks skeptical, "I know my readers wouldn't believe it. Is that what you're telling me?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Thadeus Jovanović
Marcus, you have covered the recent events in the city. If I told you supernatural forces caused them, would you believe it?
Marcus Thorne
I know my readers would not believe it. But I have seen enough to know that disbelief is not the same as evidence.
His skepticism falters. Marcus lowers the family record and studies the faces around the booth, measuring the cost of accepting what he has already witnessed.
Marcus Thorne
Yes. I believe you are telling me the truth. The attacks, the coordinated movement, the thing outside the diner, they were not isolated incidents.
Therefore, Marcus unfolds the record across the table. Beneath William Thorne's name, a handwritten entry identifies Castle Proserpina as a family-controlled site, not an abandoned legend.
Marcus Thorne
William did not merely keep records there. He helped conceal the castle after its last manifestation. My family erased witnesses, moved documents, and let the Belmont connection disappear.
Marcus Thorne
The records are in my father's old archive near London. If you go there, take this page with you. It names the person William feared would return.
Marcus turns the page toward Thadeus. The final line is hidden beneath his hand, and his fingers tighten over it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Convince Marcus to join the party
“Does City Pulse, the newspaper Marcus works for, have any connection to Erzsebet Bathory?”
YES (Even, rolled 30)
A clipped City Pulse photograph slips from beneath the page, its caption naming Erzsebet Báthory beside a decades-old investigation into disappearances near Castle Proserpina. The paper's masthead is stamped with the same archive reference as William Thorne's records.
Marcus Thorne
City Pulse inherited more than my family's files. Its founders helped bury the Báthory story, and the paper has been tracking her name ever since.
Thadeus Jovanović
The newspaper was not merely reporting the trail. It was part of it.
“Elias chimes in, "I think we may want the same thing here, Marcus. We want answers about the past, in order to preserve the future." Thadeus agrees, "We need as many friends as we can have for our journey." Thadeus holds his hand out to Marcus, asking, "What do you think about joining us in London? You can get answers and a story. A story that could change life around the globe."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Elias
I think we may want the same thing here, Marcus. We want answers about the past, in order to preserve the future.
Elias's words settle over the booth. Thadeus extends his hand across the family record, offering Marcus a place beside them rather than another demand.
Thadeus Jovanović
We need as many friends as we can have for our journey. What do you think about joining us in London? You can get answers and a story, a story that could change lives around the globe.
Marcus Thorne
They are offering me the road to the truth, not just access to it.
Marcus studies Thadeus's open hand, then the photograph bearing his family's buried history. The tension in his shoulders loosens by a fraction.
Marcus Thorne
All right. I am coming to London. I will help you reach Castle Proserpina, and I will document what my family tried to hide.
His handshake closes the bargain. The journey now has another witness, another investigator, and an ally with reason to expose the Thorne legacy.
Quest Complete
Convince Marcus to join the party